Schuerholz pays visit to `his' field at Towson

Braves GM's donation makes upgrade possible

Colleges

Atlanta Braves general manager John Schuerholz made an appearance at Towson University yesterday, checking on the baseball complex that will bear his name.

Schuerholz, a 1962 graduate of the Baltimore County school, donated $250,000 last year for an upgrade to the campus facility, Burdick Field, and was in town for his team's three-game series with the Orioles.

"Thanks to interleague play, we get to play the Orioles at Camden Yards and it's easy for me to come up and visit," said Schuerholz, who donated the money after entreaties from Towson vice president Joanne Glasser and athletic director Wayne Edwards.

During breakfast, architects, engineers and administrators discussed the plans, which will include the addition of a brick structure containing restrooms, a concession stand and seating capacity for 500 around a field that currently has few amenities.

The project, which will cost between $400,000 and $500,000, is scheduled to be finished by the time Towson's next baseball season begins in March.

The stadium will be named for Schuerholz - a two-sport star at Towson and 1974 inductee into the school's hall of fame - and his father, John Schuerholz Sr.

"I'm very pleased," Schuerholz said. "It's going to be a beautiful facility - all baseball fans and supporters of Towson University will love it, and I'm proud to have my name on it."

Towson baseball coach Mike Gottlieb said he didn't see great prospects for improvements before Schuerholz's gift.

"It's going to cost half a million, and I knew that kind of money wasn't going to come out of thin air, so I didn't think much of it," Gottlieb said. "We should probably have better and there's now a chance for that to happen."